Being aware of potential dangers can help prevent electric tank heat explosions at industrial facilities.

Electric tank heaters present several possible dangers in process heating applications. Recent incidents include one at a manufacturing plant and another at an oil-and-gas processing facility.

The manufacturing facility incident occurred on the hydraulic oil storage tank similar to thousands in use all over the world. Because of the commonality of these systems, and the prolific use of electric tank immersion heaters, it is important to be aware of the potential danger associated with this setup.

The other explosion occurred at an oil-and-gas processing facility outside of Pittsburgh. There, a fire broke out at a complex of three storage tanks, each about 25′ tall and 8′ wide.

At the facility, the natural gas was pressurized within the tanks and moved along a pipeline to a processing plant, leaving behind a “briny fluid” made up of liquid hydrocarbon waste called condensate. The tank’s electric heaters are designed to keep the liquid mixture from freezing.

The local fire chief explained that the tank designed to hold the liquid apparently was empty or nearly empty but contained gas vapors. When the liquid mixture is low, the heating element is designed to shut off. But in this case, the electric heater continued to operate, eventually warming the vapors to combustible levels, setting off the explosion.

Seeing such disasters, it becomes apparent that any electric tank heaters should be reviewed for design and installation issues that can lead to explosions so facilities can take action to avoid an incident.

How would someone know that they might have a problem? In this article, several key electric tank heater design and installation issues – that, if left unchecked, could lead to fires or explosions – will be reviewed.

Know the Risks of Electric Bayonet Immersion Heaters.

The electric heaters to be concerned about typically extend into a tank through the sidewall. They might be 12 to 36″ long, or longer. Typically, they are in the form of a bundle of elements such as a coil, wire or other shape that resists the electric current, causing the bundle to give off heat. It is the same concept used in an electric stove or toaster.

In many cases, these elements work acceptably if they are covered with a fluid. If they are uncovered and the watt density is high enough, however, they can become an ignition source.

Consider Watt Density and Protection.

Watt density — defined as the number of watts per square inch of heating surface or element — is what the designer planned for the unit selected. It makes sense that if you squeeze a whole lot of watts through a small heater, the heater elements can get very hot. The free air temperature of some of these elements can be more than 1,000°F (537°C). Remember, the flashpoint of many hydraulic oils is only 400 to 600°F (204 to 315°C).

It is not just oil tanks that are an area of concern. Any tank that can accumulate flammable elements must be considered. For instance, a wastewater tank that drains machining fluids may primarily contain water. But just a small amount of oil mixed in can cause a problem. The oil can be thermally cracked or broken down under certain conditions, filling the vapor space of the tank with hydrocarbon fumes. Then, when the level changes in the tank and air is brought in, a flammable mixture can be created.

Consider also the case of a wastewater tank that is part of a food process or sewage system. Whenever biological activity consumes organic materials, methane can be released. If the elements become exposed and there are no protections in place, you can create an ignition source directly in the tank.

Understand the Fire Triangle.

The fire triangle concept is that when you bring fuel, oxygen and an ignition source together, you have all of the elements needed for a fire. When a flammable mixture is confined and ignited, you have everything you need for an explosion. The flammable materials try to expand to many times their volume in fractions of a second. When they cannot escape whatever vent is provided in a timely manner, the vessel or tank is pressurized and usually comes apart at some weak point. Often for cylindrical tanks, the weakest spot is at the top of the container. If an explosion does occur, the flying metal and resulting fireball can be deadly and destructive.

Strategies for Industrial Plant Safety

All users of electric immersion heaters must verify that they have minimized risks related to electric tank heaters wherever they are installed. Methods to minimize risks include the following.

Verify Watt Densities and Maximum Temperatures.

Many options are available when buying electric heaters. You can purchase heaters that have features to minimize the maximum temperature, or you can specify lower watt densities.

Use Operating and High Temperature Limit Controllers.

Operating temperature controllers are essentially like thermostats in your home. They seek to provide the right temperature on a routine basis. High temperature limit controllers are special, separately installed controls that have a manual reset feature once exceeded. In this case, the device shuts the unit off until a person manually hits a button or takes some action. This feature forces someone to investigate and hopefully understand that some unusual event occurred and that an unsafe condition was reached. If a high temperature limit is installed, the setting has to be well below whatever flashpoint could be reached.

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Our heaters are currently UL recognized, CSA compliant and CE approved. We are ASME and National Board certified for Section VIII Div 1 Pressure Vessel Welding.
Additionally, we have built heaters to Military standards for the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and DCSC. We have designed and built systems to Canadian pressure vessel codes CRN, ABSA & TSSA. We also meet certain NSF, NACE and API standards.